Book before Film

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Both fictions and memories are recalled and retold. They're both forms of stories. Stories are the way we learn. Stories are how we understand each other.”

When I saw the title in the first sentence of this book, I thought about break-ups. The narrator was unnamed, and she was Jake's girlfriend. She's insightful and inquisitive, and very much keen into details. She takes note of stories about her partner and their road trip to the parent's house; some little anecdotes of her childhood and her recent experiences from a random stalker. But as you progress, there is something more than these little stories. They became a summation of an event, highlighting the very title: I'm thinking of ending things

It was a random tweet that made me engage into reading this book, plus the hype I am receiving from the film hipsters who used to rave about Kaufman and his works. The tweet is a spoiler alert (view spoiler)[the same one-liner I used to read about Ian McEwan's Atonement. (hide spoiler)]. This may not killed my overall reading experience, but somehow reading the ending became a little disappointment. It wasn't suspenseful. The last chapter was a coda, or maybe a meta. However, it did not kill the creepy feels in some of the reading experiences I have had between the chapters.

I haven't read Jose Saramago's Blindness; some say this gave off the same vibes with Iain Reid's debut. As for the film, I cannot wait to watch it, and juxtapose the director's visual expression with the write's context cues of unfolding the story. Knowing Kaufman, this movie will not disappoint. (view spoiler)[Or, may this be like Anomalisa, I wouldn't care much; I haven't watched that stop-motion animation. (hide spoiler)]

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Not Meant to be Alone

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like Eleanor Oliphant.

She is so used to be alone, minding her own business. Doing the daily grind in the same workplace for more than eight years and yet instead of being angsty about it, she feels content. She felt safe in stability and in routine. She drinks vodka to get through the weekends away; she is very cognizant in dealing with loneliness. She has her quirks and her blunt remarks with people, but when she found company in the things that came unexpectedly, she welcomed it.

At first, she is not good with company. Yet, she welcome it at its first unexpected instance. She welcomed the warmth if felt to her heart. She felt alien at first, because she is afraid to be seen as vulnerable. Who isn't? With warmth comes openness and revealing the truest sense of ourselves; she knew that the act of revealing alone is tough. Throughout her childhood, showing the true feelings and sentiments will hurt you. Some, will be used against you.

Eleanor is very much endearing. I still remember her feeling the warmth of one's embrace; or her remembering the weight of one's hand on her shoulder. The act of touch that made you feel comfort, of solace. After all, isn't that we are looking for (in people)?

We all desired for a safe haven. And as I ended the novel, I was glad that Eleanor found one.

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